Amid Donald Trump's stringent immigration regulations, tech behemoths Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and others have issued a "travel advisory" to Indian H-1B holders: Stay away from

 Amid Donald Trump's stringent immigration regulations, tech behemoths Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, and others have issued a "travel advisory" to Indian H-1B holders: Stay away from...

New Trump administration immigration rules have increased uncertainty for Indian H-1B visa holders in the US. Employees at tech companies are advised not to travel abroad for fear of being denied re-entry. Concerns are exacerbated by birthright citizenship issues and Green Card waitlists. The circumstance affects employee productivity and raises expenses for accelerated processing.

Fearing denial of re-entry to the United States, two H-1B employees interviewed by the Washington Post have canceled their plans to travel to India. One voiced worry that a future child would be stateless not American or Indian—due to the administration's possible alterations to birthright citizenship.

Through an attorney, one H-1B employee told the Washington Post, "There is an assumption that anybody who is not a US citizen might be here unlawfully."

Practical difficulties have also been brought about by the uncertainty. Businesses are paying for accelerated processing of visa extensions to offset delays, and some employees report always carrying papers when they are in public—costs that "add up," according to one human resources representative.

Foreign talent, particularly Indian skill, is crucial to the tech sector. 

such as Cognizant and Infosys, which handle a significant amount of H-1B applications. The uncertainty "certainly impairs their performance," according to an HR representative at a Silicon Valley tech company who spoke to the Washington Post, because "the threat is lurking that some action may be done against them."

The process of obtaining permanent residency is already incredibly drawn out for Indian tech workers. Even though they work for famous companies, many Indians endure decades-long wait times because of per-country Green Card limits. Despite starting a business with hundreds of employees, Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the AI startup Perplexity, which was reportedly valued at $9 billion, posted on social media that he had been waiting three years for a green card.

The administration's larger immigration policy has caused a great deal of fear, even though President Trump has recently made encouraging remarks about H-1Bs and some White House tech aides are immigrants themselves. Denial rates for skilled visas increased to 15% during Trump's first term, and immigration lawyers are cautioning their clients that such increases could happen again.